Behavioral Learning Theory

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 Assumptions of Behaviorism
 All species of animals learn in similar
(equal ways with the same guiding
principles
 To understand learning processes, focus
on stimulus and responses
 Internal process should be excluded from
the study of learning.
 Learning is evidenced by a behavior
change
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 Assumptions of Behaviorism (cont.)

 Organisms are blank slates at birth

 Learning is a result of environmental
events

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 Two main types of Learning
 Classical conditioning: addresses learning
of involuntary responses. For example
when the sound of a bell alone stimulates
saliva flow in dogs.
 Operant conditioning: addresses learning
of voluntary responses.

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 Comparisons

Classical Operant
conditioning conditioning
Two stimuli, UCS and A response (R) is
CS, are paired followed by a reinforcing
stimulus (S)
Involuntary behavior : Voluntary behavior:
elicited by a stimulus emitted by an organism
CS CR R S
OR: S-R-S
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 Your turn!
 With a partner, list two examples of
operant conditioning that you have
used or that you see regularly in your
classroom or school.
 Try to think of a “behavioral” example and
an “instructional or academic” example.

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 A-B-C Model
 Behavior is sandwiched between
 Antecedants (a stimulus that comes before
the behavior)
 Consequences (a stimulus that comes after a
behavior)

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 Consequences
 Reinforcement

 Punishment

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 Reinforcement
 Positive reinforcer: “Rewards” or
something desireable is received after a
behavior occurs

 Negative reinforcer: “Escapes” or

something undesirable is avoided after a
behavior occurs
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 Punishment
 Presentation punishment: An undesirable
stimulus is received after a behavior
occurs

 Removal punishment: A desireable is lost

or removed after a behavior occurs

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 Your turn
 With a partner, list consequences
(reinforcers and punishers) that you OR
your school uses on a regular basis to
produce the behavior you desire in your
students.
 Which ones are effective? Why or why
not?

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 Antecedents
 A prompt of cue that comes before a
behavior that results in the correct
behavior being elicited.

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 Your turn!
 Alone, answer the following questions:

What antecedents do you use on a daily

basis to get the behavior you wish from
your students?

Are the antecedents effective?

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Like it or Not---From the behaviorist
perspective,
 the teacher MUST be active in getting the
behavior they wish from their students.
 if the teacher is not actively involved, they
will not regularly see the behavior they
wish or be certain the behavior was
learned.
 if a student does not learn (demonstrate
the behavior) then the teacher did not
teach it.
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 Application of Behaviorism to
Instruction
 Teaching that is behaviorist in nature is
often referred to as
 Direct teaching
 Explicit teaching
 Expository teaching
 Teacher-led instruction

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 Behaviorism (cont.)

 What areas of Bloom’s Taxonomy might

behaviorism address?
Knowledge, Comprehension,
Application, Analysis, Synthesis, or
Evaluation?

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Phases in a Behaviorist Lesson
 Orientation: overview, explains why, etc.

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 Phases (cont.)
 Presentation: explain how to, steps,
demonstrate how to.
 Presented in very small steps with mastery of
each step the goal
 Numerous examples with teacher
demonstrating correct responses
 When difficulty is encountered, additional
explanations and examples given.
 Constant evaluation of ALL students
understanding.
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 Phases (cont.)
 Practice phase
 Structured practice: whole class led through each
step of the problem with teacher leading and checking
for everyone’s understanding.
 Guided practice: students work on a few examples
alone at their desks. Teacher circulates and monitors,
providing corrective feedback and reinforcement
 Independent practice: students given a few examples
just like what had been learned to practice alone.
Feedback is not necessarily immediate (i.e. next day).

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 Guidelines for Practice
 From a behavioral perspective, students should
only practice what they already know how to do.
 Provide short but intense practice sessions (no
more than 30-40 minutes for middle/high school)
 Monitor carefully and provide corrective
feedback and reinforcement
 Incorrect responses which are not corrected become
part of the learner’s behavior and impede progress
toward subsequent learning

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 Guidelines for Practice (cont.)

 Do not engage students in independent

practice until have 85% success in guided
practice
 Space structured practice close together
with guided and independent sessions
gradually further and further apart.

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 Your turn
 In small groups, describe a lesson in
which you have used the behaviorist
approach (just one lesson for the entire
group). What do you know now that would
have made the lesson better and improved
the likelihood that students would have
learned better. How would you change
that lesson?

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